Going Home Again
by Clever Lass
Summary: After some visits from an annoying blue butterfly, Alice returns to Underland. There, she accepts a proposal, meets some interesting new friends, and plays matchmaker for them (crossover with Peter Pan 2003, Labyrinth, and Pirates of the Caribbean; see note in chapter 1). This is not a complex, plot-filled story; what plot it does have is just fun, forgiveness and fluff.
1. Who is Alice?

The blue butterfly had been following Alice for several days now. Every time she turned her head, there it was, fluttering in her peripheral vision. She could never quite see it straight on, though.

After several days, Alice lost patience with it. When it fluttered and disappeared for the seventh time in one day, she got angry and stamped her foot.

"Absalom, you come right back here this minute!" she growled.

A few minutes later, the blue butterfly landed on her shoulder. It fanned its wings slowly. Alice looked closely at its tiny blue head and noticed, sure enough, it was wearing a monocle.

"What do you mean with all this flitting about, not letting me see you, hmm?" she teased.

For the first time in two years she heard Absalom's velvet voice in her ear. "So you know who I am, then?"

"Of course I do. It's so good to see you!"

"And do you know who _you_ are, this time?" The edge of one of his wings lightly brushed her neck.

"Alice," she said. "friend of Hatters, Queens, evaporating cats, and you. Oh, and slayer of the jabberwock."

"Very good." Absalom stretched his wings again. "You do know who you are, _there_. But do you know who you are, _here_?"

"Alice Kingsley, daughter of Charles and Helen Kingsley. Apprentice merchant at Kingsley shipping company."

"Is that all?" Absalom queried, in his smooth, precise voice.

"Well," Alice said thoughtfully, "I'm also sister to Margaret, niece to Imogene, and aunt to little Elizabeth. Is that what you meant?"

"Not quite. You are _their_ daughter and sister, _their_ aunt, _their_ niece. Is there no one else?" he pressed.

"No one else… I don't understand. No one else for what?"

"These all claim you as theirs. Is there no one who is yours?"

"Of course! Helen is _my_ mother. Margaret is _my_ sister. Imogene is _my_ aunt. Elizabeth is _my_ niece."

"But you share them all. You share your mother and aunt with your sister. You share your sister with her husband. Your sister and her husband are the ones who share _their_ baby with you. You have no one is only yours?"

Alice had one mad, delightful thought, but then she blushed and shook her head. "No, I suppose not." She looked at him sharply. "Why do you ask?"

"Your Aliceness is insufficient."

"My Aliceness? No, it isn't. I'm just as Alicey as I've ever been!" Alice replied, indignant.

"But not as Alicey as you could be," Absalom replied, lifting off again. He hovered like a hummingbird in front of Alice's nose for a moment. "Consider what I've said," he directed, and then fluttered away.

"I don't see how I could do anything but," Alice grumbled to herself, "As I didn't even understand what you said."

Over the next few days, Alice did consider what Absalom had said. She supposed she had defined herself in terms of others, but wasn't that what most people did? She got the impression Absalom wanted her to define herself in other terms, but she didn't know what those terms were—and he wasn't exactly close by for her to ask.

* * *

_Note: I'm aware that the movie spells Alice's surname "Kingsleigh," but I much prefer the simpler "Kingsley," which is what I'm using._

_This story will become a 4-way crossover between Alice, Peter Pan 2003, Labyrinth, and even Pirates of the Caribbean. Its category will change as I post more of it, so if you like it make sure you put it in your "story alerts" or else you won't be able to find it again. Most of it is written already, so the updates ought to be fairly frequent. Please review!_


	2. In Church

Absalom's next appearance was at church. Alice was sitting there next to her mother, who was having difficulty staying awake. In fact, at this moment, her head had nodded forward and she was fast asleep.

The blue butterfly landed on the top edge of Alice's Bible, where she had been looking up the text for the minister's sermon. "Have you considered what I said?" he asked. His tiny, velvety butterfly voice sounded loud in the stillness. Alice glanced around nervously, but no one else seemed to have noticed.

"Absalom, what are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper. "I'm in church!"

"Just as you should be," Absalom said with approval. "Perhaps you will learn something about not making promises you can't keep."

"What promises?" Alice hissed.

"Book of James, chapter five," Absalom replied. "'But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.' Or in this case, if you tell someone 'I'll be back before you know it,' then… _go back_."

"Oh!" Alice's hand flew to cover her mouth. "You're talking about my return to Underland!"

"Or not."

"You are not talking about that?" Alice asked, puzzled now.

"I am."

"But you said 'or not'."

"That was referring to whether or not you return, you stupid girl."

"I'm not stupid!" Alice whispered harshly. Her mother sighed and her eyelids begin to flutter open.

"Then, as long as you are looking up texts, try looking at the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 4, verses 9 to 11." Then he abruptly flew away just as Alice's mother woke up.

Alice waited until her mother was beginning to doze again, before she flipped open her Bible to the passage Absalom had mentioned. She read it once, and her mouth fell open. Then she read it again. By the third time she read it, she was blushing furiously. "One be warm alone, indeed!"

On his next visit, Alice asked him pointedly if he was sure that he wasn't trying to marry her off like her mother always was.

He seemed amused. "No, not like that," he said.

"But the world is changing, Absalom. I have work here. I am an independent woman now. I don't need to marry, so why should I?"

"Why did your mother marry? She was independent as well, was she not?"

"Yes, but that's different. She and Father were in love."

"And—forgive me for bringing up a painful topic, but—since your father's death, how does she seem?"

"Empty, I suppose. As if some part of her was missing."

"Yes," replied Absalom. "She is less Helenny than she was when your father was alive. She has lost an essential part of her Helenness."

"So you think I ought to marry some man to achieve my full Aliceness?" she asked skeptically. "I believe you're mistaken. Every man I have met up here always wants to make me _less_ Alicey, not more."

"Yes," Absalom replied. "You are finally starting to understand. I must say, I didn't think it would take you quite this long to put it together."

"Put what together?" Alice asked, frustrated. "You aren't making sense!"

"Oh, but I am. You simply don't yet understand the sense I am making, but you are getting closer. Keep thinking it over. I'll see you again soon."


	3. Self-examination

Alice thought it over for a week. The one man who had ever made her feel the most herself wasn't even an Englishman. He was, in fact, from Underland, and he was insane. Delightfully and magnificently insane, with both a sweet, gentle friend and a mighty Outlandish warrior hiding in his head—and probably many other personalities that Alice hadn't met yet.

It was odd, she reflected, that the one man she had ever met who made her feel much more Alicey—much more "muchier," she remembered with a smile—was a crazy hat-maker from another world.

And here Alice blushed, because she remembered the thought that she had had when the butterfly had asked if she had anyone who was just hers. Her mind had leaped to the idea that if she did, she would want it to be the Hatter.

"But that's just silly," she scolded herself. "He may not even exist! And if he does, he probably does not care for me in that way. Even if he did, he is still half-mad. And this is a very improper line of thought, Alice, and you shall cease immediately!"

Alice often gave herself excellent advice, which she rarely followed. This case was no exception, as once she allowed the thought into her mind, she couldn't stop thinking about the Hatter… And wondering what it would be like if he _were_ all hers.

If he were hers, he would be ALL hers. Tarrant Hightopp never did anything in half-measures, and if he were hers, she knew that he would be hers with every fiber of his being. He would love as strongly as he hated, as joyfully as he laughed, and as fiercely as he fought.

Did he even feel that way about her in the first place? And what would it mean that he was from another world? It wasn't even a world that one could sail to, but only blunder into accidentally. If she were to go there to be with the Hatter (he had asked her to stay, after all), would she ever be able to get back to England to visit her sister and her darling little niece? What would happen to the trading company? When Lord Ascot died, it would go to Hamish—staid, respectable Hamish, who had only wanted to marry her as a favor to her family. Would he have the imagination to take it in new directions? To explore new markets, trade with new countries?

Alice doubted it. Lord Ascot she could work with. He had appreciated the vision and imagination of Alice's father. Hamish, alas, had inherited more of his mother's personality, and preferred to suppress Alice's natural ebullience and fanciful nature.

No, the company could not do without her, but both she and it could do _very_ well without Hamish. Perhaps it was time to have another serious discussion with Lord Ascot about her company's future.

For an instant Alice imagined substituting the Hatter for Hamish. He certainly had no shortage of imagination, determination, or loyalty. Lord Ascot would like him and find him amusing. Hamish and his mother would disapprove, and the thought made her smile to herself. Best of all, her father would have found the Hatter a kindred spirit and loved him like a son.

At _that_ thought, Alice blushed so red she had to fan her face. The only way Tarrant Hightopp could be Charles Kingsley's son would be if he married Charles' daughter!

That could never be, of course—but there had been those few times between them, when Alice could have sworn the Hatter was about kiss her. Once when he had complained of her being either "too small or too tall," she had almost asked him, "For what?" but there hadn't been time enough. That evening on the balcony, and then again when he had bid her farewell—or "Fairfarren," as it was—she had the distinct impression that he had been holding himself back from—what? Embracing her? Kissing her? Alice wished, not for the first time, that she had stayed long enough to find out. But had she stayed, would she have been willing to return and fulfill her obligations at home?

Decidedly not, and that wouldn't have been fair. Not to her family, and certainly not to Hamish. For all his dull qualities, he was a good man. Even if he were marrying her out of a sense of duty instead of love, he was at least a dutiful man. She had owed him an answer, even if the answer was no.

Now, on the other hand, her obligations were lessening. Her mother was independent and very wrapped up with Margaret and her family, and her Aunt Imogene actually had a suitor at last—ironically named Mr Prince. Lowell was treating her sister Margaret much better since little Elizabeth's birth; Alice hadn't caught him with a housemaid in months. The company was going well. Alice honestly didn't know how things could be better Above. Being a young woman of means, she didn't need to marry and did not intend to. Until Absalom had come along and put all those ideas into her head, she had been perfectly content.

With their father's death, their home had been entailed to a distant cousin with a large family, and Alice and her mother had had to move in with Margaret and Lowell Manchester. Alice did not fit in at her sister's house. She spent much of her time sequestered in her rooms. Margaret was disgustingly happy with Lowell, who was distant but was becoming either more faithful or more discrete. Little baby Eliza was lovely, but not much of a conversationalist. Alice had been thrilled to go to China, but now that she was back in England, she was not looking forward to living with them again. She didn't fit in at work or at home. The only place she truly felt as if she fit in was in Underland.

Perhaps it was time she returned. It seemed as if that is what would make Absalom happy, and she herself would be very glad to see all her friends there again—especially Tarrant, she admitted to herself.


	4. Looking Within

Next time Absalom came to see Alice, she planned to ask him how to return. She didn't have long to wait. Two days later was Sunday, and Absalom came once again while she was in church.

"Hello again," she whispered.

He nodded his tiny head regally to her. "Have you thought on what I've said?"

By this time, Alice had figured out that he wanted her to return to Underland, and that she would find someone to marry there—specifically, to marry for love. Well, that was fine with her, as long as it was the Hatter to whom he referred. She was eager to go and find out.

"Yes," she whispered. "The only problem is, how do I get back to Underland? And if I go, could I still come back for visits?"

"You get there by Introspection," he announced in his tiny butterfly voice. "Gazing into yourself. And once you've got there, there are many ways back."

"Introspection?! What do you think I've been doing all week?" Alice hissed.

"You may have reached some conclusions, but that is a far different thing."

"So how am I to gaze into myself?" she asked. "And what will I find there?"

"Stupid girl. You do it every morning. You just don't look deeply enough."

"What?" Alice whispered. Her outrage made her whisper too loudly and she caught the attention of the usher. He bustled over to shush her and shooed the butterfly away. Absalom fluttered out the door and Alice mouthed an apology to the usher and returned her attention to the text.

For three days, Alice indulged in a great deal of introspection, just as the butterfly had directed her to do. She examined her heart, her motivations, her ambitions, and even delved into the murky ground of character. She discovered many things about herself in relation to Underland, and particularly to one particular person in Underland. She missed her friends there very much, but in the course of her introspection, she came to realize that she missed the Hatter most of all. He had been her closest friend, but there was also that spark of _something_ between them that made her wonder if he felt more than friendship for her. She knew she felt more for him. The more she thought of him, the more she realized she was in a fair way toward falling in love with him—even in his absence!

On the fourth morning she began her introspection a little bit earlier, as she was putting up her hair. She knew what she looked like when she was happy, bored, frightened, and grieving, but she had never before noticed that shadow of loneliness, and she leaned close to the looking glass to get a better look.

She braced her hand on the glass, and it felt sticky. She pulled away quickly, getting a sense of déjà-vu. Had this happened before? She put her hand back, and this time was able to press it all the way through the glass. The looking glass felt like a soap bubble around her wrist, and she drew her hand back quickly a second time.

Suddenly she started laughing. Was this what Absalom had meant, when he had told her to gaze into herself? Instead of indulging in all that self-examination, had he simply meant that she could walk through the looking glass? With a smile on her face, and her heart pounding in excitement, Alice quickly penned a note to her mother and sister and gathered a few special things into a satchel. With a silent prayer and a deep breath, she closed her eyes and stepped through the looking glass.


	5. Teatime!

When Alice felt solid ground beneath both feet again, she open her eyes and looked about her. She was in a wood, on a little green path that wound its way between the trees alongside a pretty little brook. She did not recognize anything around her, but with the sun high overhead she would have plenty of time to explore. She decided to follow the little brook upstream, enjoying the beautiful afternoon. It had been early morning in England, but here it must be well past noon.

She walked for perhaps half an hour until she began to recognize her surroundings. She came out into a little clearing that looked familiar. "Of course," she said to herself, "this was where I first met Chessur!"

From there, Alice was able to pick out her way quite well from memory. Her steps speeded up until she was almost skipping through the woods. When she finally came to the edge of the wood and saw the March Hare's dilapidated windmill home, she stopped short and clasped her hands in joy. It looked as if nothing had changed: the vanes of the windmill still sagged down like a rabbit's ears, and the hare himself was still sitting mid-table, hurling biscuits at his friends. His friends, Alice was overjoyed to see, were two mice and a Hatter. As she approached the table, the Hatter poured out a few drops of tea for the two mice sitting there. One mouse was still very small and quick, but the other mouse was larger and slower, and had the swollen joints and pained movements of the elderly.

Alice walked up to the table with more confidence than she felt. The Hatter saw her and his face lit up with joy. He leaped to his feet and ran out to meet her. "Alice!" he cried, grabbing both her hands in his. "I'm so happy to see you! Eh, chaps?" He looked at the table where Thackery and the two mice sat.

"You are sure it's the right Alice this time?" asked the elderly mouse in a snide tone.

With a shock, Alice realized it was Mallymkun. Of course, with the short life-span of a mouse, Mally _would _be quite old by now. "Hello, Mally," she said. Catching the wild left eye of the March Hare, she greeted him as well. "Thackery, how are you?"

Thackery made a few nonsensical sounds and slurped down the rest of his tea. The young mouse simply watched avidly, nose quivering.

"And who are you?" Alice asked with a friendly smile.

"This is my grand daughter, Millimalkin," Mally explained.

"I'm Alice," Alice introduced herself.

"Are you the one who slew the jabberwock?" The mouse-child asked her.

"Yes, but you know what?"

"What?"

"I couldn't have done it without your grandmother's help. She saved my life when I first got here, and then later she helped me tame the Bandersnatch so that I could bring the Vorpal sword to Marmoreal. She is a very brave warrior, you know."

"She _is_?" The tiny mouse asked, astonished, looking at her grandmother in wonderment.

Alice met Mally's eye and winked, and Mally ducked her head in a little bow. Not an awed sort of bow—no, this was a bow that told Alice "You're absolutely right. You're welcome." Then she winked back. Alice grinned, knowing she wouldn't have any more trouble with Mally from that point on.

Alice turned back to the Hatter, who said nothing but just beamed with happiness as he gazed at her. Alice smiled back and took a step closer to him.

"Oh, look at the time!" Mally said, grabbing her grandchild by the tail and hauling her away from the sugar bowl. "Milli and I must be going. Thanks ever so for having us to luncheon, Thackery—" and the two mice jumped off the table and scurried away into the wood. A moment later Mally's stage whisper of "Thackery!" from the wood got the Hare's attention.

"Oh, of course, of course!" he muttered. "Must go inside now. Things to do, things to do. Whole list of them. First on the list is to…" and he consulted a scrap of paper pulled from his waist coat pocket. "… Is to Go Inside! Cheerio, you two. Just leave the things here when you're finished. I'll clear away later." He scampered off to his lop-eared house, slamming the door with a definitive _bang_.


	6. Reunion

Alice took another step toward the Hatter. He took one toward her. "Alice," he said. It didn't seem as if he was trying to get her attention, but more as if he just wanted to say it, just enjoyed the shape of her name in his mouth. He said it again. "Alice, Alice, you're here!"

"Yes, Hatter. I'm here." She smiled at him.

"You're terribly late, though. You said you'd be back before I knew it, and I'm afraid I have known for ages that you were gone. You naughty girl!" he teased, as he reached out to snag a curl of her hair and run it through his scarred, bethimbled fingers.

"Yes, I know I'm late. I'm sorry. There were things I had to do—"

"—Questions you had to answer," the Hatter finished for her. "What questions, Alice?"

"Well, a friend had asked me to marry him, and I had run off to Underland while I was making my decision. It would not have been honorable to keep him waiting for his answer."

The hatter's tie went gray and drooped, and his coat turned from magenta to deep purple. He dropped her lock of hair hastily. "What did you answer?" he asked dully.

"I turned him down," Alice said. "He had proposed to me in front of all our friends and family, so unfortunately, that was how I had to turn him down. He wasn't the right man for me, and I told him so."

One side of the tie perked up and the coat brightened somewhat. The Hatter's expression did not change, but his clothes spoke for him. His waist coat, which had been dark gray, abruptly turned bright red. He quickly buttoned up his coat to cover it, as if embarrassed. His large green eyes took on a wistful expression as he asked, "Have you found anyone else up there who is?"

Alice shook her head. "That's why I was so willing to listen when Absalom suggested I return."

"I'm so very glad!" exclaimed the Hatter, taking her hands again. "I'm so glad you have come back to me! To us, I mean. Yes, it would be silly to return for the sake of just one person, and him being half-mad, so I know you have returned to everyone and not just me—"

By now, Alice had seen and heard enough to know his heart. She lifted his hands to her lips and kissed them both, one after the other. "Yes, Tarrant," she said. "I have come back to _you_."

The Hatter's eyes turned deep blue and his jaw dropped in shock. "To… to me?" he stammered. "Are you sure ? To me? _Just_ me? _ME?_"

Alice went a little pink, but nodded decisively. "I am," she said. "Quite sure." She hesitated a moment when he made no response, and added, "If you don't mind, that is."

"Mind?" The Hatter cupped her face in both his hands and raised it to meet his heartfelt kiss. His eyes went a darker blue, and then he closed them to concentrate on the kiss. He kissed like he did everything else—passionately, with every particle of his being, and Alice was overwhelmed. She kissed him back, her arms sliding around his lean body. His hands left her face and slid around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. He ended the kiss and simply held her, his hands running up and down her back as if he was so happy to have her in his arms that he simply couldn't be still.

"I have dreamed so many times of your return," he whispered, his breath on her ear sending shivers down her back. "But you always faded away before I could touch you. I have never dared to dream anything as glorious as this!"

His arms loosened and he kissed her again, briefly, before he stepped back. His eyes were still blue, but lighter now, and he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. He seemed to vibrate with excitement. His whole frame quivered as it built, more and more, until he finally burst out with "Come and have tea!"

"I'd love to," Alice assured him with a smile, taking his hand and letting him lead her to the tea-table. She listened to him go on about how much he liked her, and how much he liked tea, and how happy it made him to put his two favorite things together, and she laughed with joy.

She felt more Alicey than she had done in ages. Absolom was right—the Hatter made her feel more herself than anyone else did. She sipped her tea (prepared exactly right, of course) and smiled at the Hatter, who had the most endearing habit of randomly inserting compliments to her into everything he told her. Just now he was telling of the changes in the White Queen's court.

"And the queen made me royal hatter again, I'm happy to say, although hatting her can be rather a chore sometimes, as she only wears white and isn't half so beautiful as you…" and a few minutes later, he spoke of an argument that the Tweedles had called him in to settle.

"Tweedledum said he liked you better little, and Tweedledee said he liked you better being all great big, and they couldn't settle it with a duel, as both their wooden swords were too short to reach each other, so they sent for me and I told them that they were both wrong. The best size for you is a proper Alice size. And since _my_ sword is easily the size of the two of them together, that was that. Not that you're not enchanting at any size, of course, my dear Alice. Of course you are. You're delightful no matter what size you are. It's just that some sizes make you too small, and others make you too tall."

"For what, Hatter?" Alice asked at last.

"Why, for this, of course!" And he interrupted his excited stream of gossip to lean over and kiss her again. It was sweet and gentle this time, and seemed like a natural extension of his chatter.

"You're the perfect size for this," he explained. "For kissing." He kissed her again. "You're the perfect size, the perfect weight," another kiss, "the perfect density, the perfect color," another, "the perfect shape." Then his voice deepened and roughed into the Outlandish burr as he finished, "In fact, you're the right _perfect_ Alice for kissing!" And he proceeded to haul her out of her chair and onto his lap to demonstrate.


	7. Healing

Alice didn't mind. She was beginning to think the Hatter was the absolutely perfect Tarrant for kissing, as well. She felt his cool thimbles brush the skin of her neck, and shivered. His fingers tangled in her hair as he angled his head to deepen the kiss. She clutched at his fiery hair and breathed his name.

The Hatter drew her close, rested his head on her shoulder, and just held her. Seated on his lap as she was, she was taller than he, and she stroked his hair and kissed him on the forehead.

"I was quite content up there," she whispered. "my family were doing well, and I was employed by the man who bought my father's shipping company. I had turned down his son's proposal, and intended never to marry. Then Absalom came and told me I was lacking in Aliceness."

"But not in muchness," the Hatter replied, pressing his hand flat on her abdomen. "Not anymore."

"No, not anymore, thanks to you," Alice said. She pressed her hand flat against his, blushing at the fact that a man was touching her body. But this was Tarrant Hightopp, _her_ Hatter, and she trusted him. She smiled against his forehead before kissing it again. She felt him sigh with happiness and nuzzle into her neck.

"But I couldn't figure out how I could be more Alicey then I already was, until I thought of you. You have always been the one who makes me feel most like myself. Everyone else up there, even Lord Ascot, makes me feel like an impostor, or like I'm acting a part. Not you. You've always made me feel real, even when I thought I was dreaming. Not only myself the way I am, but myself the way I could be. Now I know the real truth about you, Hatter."

He lifted his head and looked up at her, his expression wary. "The truth? About me?"

"Yes, Tarrant. The truth is that _you_ are my 'muchness.' The truth is that I'm not really Alice except when I'm with you."

His eyes locked onto hers, and she was dismayed to see tears welling up in them and then spilling down his cheeks.

"Tarrant?" she asked, catching a tear on the tip of her finger and holding it up to show him. "Is something wrong?"

"Nay, love," he replied. "It's finally right." He buried his head on her shoulder and wept for joy.

Alice started to get a little teary, too, until she noticed something odd. The Hatter's hair was growing. She had been running her hands through it all the while, so she noticed the texture change first. She was used to its springy frizz, but all a sudden it started to straighten and lengthen into smooth, glossy ringlets that fell around his shoulders.

She said his name in wonder, and he looked up, blinking. She held up one of the long auburn curls questioningly. Then she noticed the shadows under his eyes were disappearing, and the hollows under his cheek bones were filling in. Her jaw dropped in shock. The Hatter was still pale, but his coloration looked like that of a normal man as he sat there gazing up at her.

"Your skin…" she said, trailing off as she met his eyes. His eyes were large and unchanged, save for having turned a dark, intense green. "What's happening to you, Tarrant?" she asked.

"It's simple, love. You're healing me."

"Oh!" Alice covered her mouth in surprise.

He gave her a teasing smile. "Surely you didn't think you could come here and say those things to someone who is half-mad but quite magical and have nothing happen?"

"I like your being half-mad, actually," Alice confessed with a smile. "I hadn't realized you were that magical, though. You look very nice."

"I shall have to present myself to the queen, now. She has been creating diverse potions to try to heal me, but I should have known that would be your purview, not hers." He paused to smile at her again, that eyebrows-raised, innocent, joyful smile that she loved. "Now that you've returned, the queen's champion ought to present herself to the queen as well. You really should finish your luncheon, and then we will get your lodgings sorted out for the night. Tomorrow we should go to Marmoreal and see her."

"She shan't make me stay there, shall she?" Alice worried aloud as she got off the Hatter's lap, stretched, and sat back down in her own spot. "It will be lovely to see her of course, but I came back to Underland to spend time with you." She picked up a piece of bread and butter.

The Hatter grinned and grabbed at her hand with its bread and butter. He kissed her knuckles several times, and then noticed the bread and butter in her hand. He took a bite out of it and then released her hand. "I have a room there at the castle as well," he explained, swallowing his mouthful. "For when I am hatting the court."

"Hatter!" Alice protested, laughing at his stealing her bread and butter. "First you say how hungry I am, and then you steal part of my lunch! Naughty, Tarrant!"

His eyes turned dark blue again and he smiled. "Aye," he agreed shyly. He went on. "The queen's champion will be expected to reside in the castle, but I will be there as well. We will see each other often, I promise."

"How long will you be there hatting?"

He looked amazed at her question. "As long as you're there, of course. Silly girl," he said with affection.

Alice applied herself to the luncheon—she really was quite hungry—until she felt she'd made a good showing among the biscuits and sandwiches. She drained her teacup and set it down. "There, I've finished."

"Right!" the Hatter chirped, and jumped to his feet. "Let's be off, then." He took her hand and headed down the road.

"Where are we going?" Alice asked.

"My house, of course. It's just down the road. I don't think you've ever been there, so I shall have to introduce you to each other. I would be honored, dear lady," and he kissed the hand he was holding, "If you would stay with me whenever you're not at the castle."

"Do you live alone?"

"Aye, for the most part. Sometimes Mally comes over to sleep in my hat, when the grandchildren get too noisy."

Alice, definitely a product of her upbringing, went on with a faint flush, "But, I mean—pardon me for asking, but shall we have a chaperon?"

He nodded confidently. "Two. They're the best chaperons anyone could wish."

"Who are they? Do I know them?"

He slanted a pale green look down at her. "You know one of them very well, and I hope you shall become much better acquainted with the other."

"But who are they?"

He smiled, drawing her hand through his arm and patting it where it rested on his forearm. "Your sense of honor, my love, and mine. They are very faithful and they never let down their guard."

* * *

_Note: There are small bits of this borrowed from JJTower's excellent essay on LiveJournal, called "Alice and Tarrant Ship Manifesto," namely the idea of Alice being the Hatter's sanity, and he being her "muchness." I can't link directly to the essay because FFN disallows any links to external sites, but go to LiveJournal and check it out. And no, I am not connected with JJTower, nor do I know who s/he is. I just liked the essay. Cheers!_


	8. The Hatter's Cottage

The hatter's house was a cozy little thatched cottage about a half-mile from Thackery's windmill home. "It isn't much," he said modestly, "but it suits me." He gestured to a small outbuilding with a lot of windows. "My workroom." Then he led her up the front path to the lime-green door. "Come in, come in!"

Apparently his skill and taste in hatmaking had extended to interior design, for Alice had never seen a cottage so lovely and cozy. The Hatter gave her a brief tour of his abode, and she was enchanted. The kitchen was decorated in bright, sunny yellow, with accents of royal blue. There was a little table there, with two chairs—"One for me and one for a friend," he explained.

He led her into the parlor, which boasted a comfortable-looking divan and two large, squashy armchairs in front of the fireplace. This room maintained the royal blue color from the kitchen, but added some teal and rich purple, to give it a marine air. In England the colors would never have worked together, but here they looked simply marvelous, and Alice told him so. His face retained a humble expression, but his tie brightened and fluffed itself. Alice smiled.

"Come and see the upstairs," he said happily. "I do hope you like your room."

He showed her his own room first, which brought in the teal and purple from downstairs and added bright yellow accents. He kept things tidy, Alice was glad to note, even if the objects he kept were a bit odd. He had a large collection of colorful thimbles on one wall, and a comparatively small collection of hats on another. Alice noted with amusement that they were all top hats of many different sizes and colors, and some were obviously ladies' hats. She chuckled to herself at the thought of his having ladies' hats, but said nothing.

The bath was well-appointed, done in black and white with red accents.

"And this is your room," the Hatter said, opening the door opposite his.

Alice gasped. It was lovely. All done in various shades of blue, it was as if the Hatter had peeked into her mind and chosen the very room that would be the most comfortable and restful for her.

"Oh, Hatter, this is simply wonderful!" she exclaimed. "This is the most beautiful room I could imagine!"

The Hatter beamed. "I hoped you would like it," he said. "I confess I did make this room with you in mind, should you ever return and wish to stay with me."

Alice impulsively turned and hugged him. "Thank you, dear Tarrant," she said, her voice muffled in his shoulder.

"I am amply repaid," he whispered, tipping her face up for a gentle kiss. "But let us go down and talk for a bit. We have a lot of catching-up to do, as you were gone so long. Naughty thing!" he scolded affectionately.

Seated together on the divan, with the late afternoon sun streaming in the windows and turning his now-auburn hair fiery red again, Alice held her Hatter's hand and listened to him fill her in on all the recent doings of their friends. "Oh, and this shall interest you," he said. "Queen Mirana has a suitor. You'll never guess who!"

"Who?"

"Stayne."

"WHAT?" Alice screeched, and the Hatter laughed.

"That's what I said, and everyone else too. It turns out that the Red Queen had used her most powerful spells on him—you recall that she had studied dominion over living things? We hadn't realized that included humans, but apparently it did. She had turned him into her creature, from childhood on. When they were banished together, she lost her power over him and he broke free and made his way back to Marmoreal to turn himself in. He expected to be arrested and imprisoned for the rest of his life, but it ended up being only eight months. Queen Mirana worked some magic to make sure he was free of Iracebeth's influence, and then released him. He's actually rather a decent fellow, now that he's himself again. He sought me out personally and made me a very handsome apology."

"For—for murdering your family and torturing you?" Alice asked, appalled.

He nodded. "Yes. Of course, I did try to kill him immediately after he made the apology," he said pleasantly, "but as he made no move to defend himself, I was obliged to stop and accept it. Every now and again I still go off my head and try to kill him, but for the most part we maintain friendly relations. He says he doesn't blame me a bit."

Alice blinked a few times. It sounded a very strange friendship to her, but the Hatter seemed unconcerned. "And he is courting the queen?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Yes. Is it not strange? The queen has promised me privately that even if she does marry him, he shall never be king, but only her consort. I was relieved to hear it, as you may imagine. Iracebeth's creature or not, he caused untold suffering in Underland. Plus, the last time there was a white king, he used Thackery and me quite dreadfully. He was nowhere near as bad as the Red Queen, but at least she was equally cruel to everyone. The White King made it personal to us two."

"A white king?"

"Aye, of course. Mirana and Iracebeth's father. Don't you remember? You met him during your second visit here. We were employed as his messengers, and I had just got out of prison for a crime I hadn't yet committed."

"Oh, yes!" Alice remembered. "They'd given you nothing but oyster shells to eat, but the king insisted you tell him all about the fight between the lion and the unicorn, and wouldn't let you finish your tea. I never did understand why he needed two messengers, though. Oh, wait—wasn't it 'one to come and one to go'?"

"'One to fetch and one to carry'," the Hatter said rather bitterly. "And all those endless memoranda!" He sighed. "Thackery and I were rather glad when he was deposed, I can tell you. He couldn't even remember our names."

"What did he call you? I can't remember."

"He called us 'Hatta' and 'Heigha,'" he replied. "Not that I mind being called 'Hatter' by my friends, but I do prefer that they at least _know_ my name. Though Chessur is the only one who still calls me by it in recent years. It has been wonderful," he said to Alice with a shy smile, "to hear it on your lips today, Alice."

"I'll use it all the time if you like, Tarrant," she said.

The Hatter's pale cheeks went slightly pink and he got a little flustered. "It's lovely, but I think perhaps, well, no, not all the time, my dear. After all, most everyone else just calls me 'Hatter,' which is fine with me. It's _great_ with me, truly! It's what I am after all, and I wouldn't want everyone switching over to using my name now all of a sudden—not when I've recently discovered how enchanting it sounds coming from only you. Perhaps you could call me Tarrant when it's just us? When no one else is around?"

"I'd like that," Alice reassured him.

"Good, I'm glad we've settled that." Suddenly he turned accusing green eyes on her. "That reminds me: Thackery once told me the white king had told him that you love him. With an H, if I recall correctly. Do you still? Ought I to step aside? Perhaps you'd rather stay up in the windmill with him?"

Alice was puzzled for a moment until she remembered playing "I love my love" with the white king. "Oh, no, Hatter, it's just a parlor game that people play sometimes, in my world. You go through the alphabet and try to come up with things that begin with each letter. It is only a game. Thackery is very nice, I'm sure, but I don't love him."

"A parlor game? How does it go?" The Hatter sat up, eyes glowing with interest as his coat turned lavender. "We're _in_ a parlor, you see! And I do love games. But we may have to skip some letters. I couldn't possibly love you with an X, I don't think. An X is a mark of cancellation, and I could never permit that."

Alice dimpled with pleasure. "We can skip whatever letters you like. It goes like this: I love my love with an A, because he is _agile_. I hate him with an A because he is _arrogant_. He takes me to the sign of the _Abbott_ and feeds me _artichokes_ and _apricots_. His name is _Adam_, and he lives in _Avon_."

The Hatter scowled for a moment, but then said, "I think I understand. How is this? I love my love with an A because she is _adorable_. I hate her with an A because she was _absent_ so long. I take her to the sign of the _Anvil_ and feed her _apples_ and _almonds_. Her name is _Alice_ and she lives _Above_."

Alice nodded and responded with B, but the Hatter scowled again when she said her love's name was Basil and lived in Bedfordshire.

He responded with, "I love my love with a C because she is _clever_. I hate her with a C because she _connives_ with _Chessur_. I take her to the sign of the _Cat_ and feed her _cantaloupes_ and _cream_. Her name is _Alice_, and she lives in my _cottage_."

Alice thought the Hatter might not fully understand the game, but she decided she liked his version better. On her next turn, she said that her love took her to the sign of the _Dove_ and fed her _delicious_ _dates_ and _doughnuts_. "His name is…"

The Hatter stiffened and waited.

"His name is _Tarrant_, and he lives in the _dell_," she finished.

They never got any further in the game than that, as the Hatter interrupted her with kisses every time she tried to speak.

"Is it true, Alice?" he demanded. "Is your love's name Tarrant?"

"Aye," she whispered, mimicking him. "Tarrant Hightopp is the name of my love. He's a hatter, a milliner, a tailor, a warrior, and a champion. 'Yea, he is altogether lovely,'" she quoted, stroking his hair as he bent to kiss her again and again.

"_My_ love's name is Alice Kingsley," he replied. "She is clever and beautiful and strong, and she saved my land from destruction. She's a lady, a an ambassador, a warrior, and a champion. Best of all, she has returned to me at last. She is utterly delightful in every way, and I'm hoping desperately that she'll agree to marry me someday."

"She probably will," Alice assured him. "As soon as she has spent a little more time in this land, and some more time with you, she will probably accept you when you offer for her."

"So long as she knows my intentions are strictly honorable," he replied with a tender look.

"She never doubted that," she said, taking his hand and kissing his scarred fingers again. "Never."

The Hatter looked out the window. "It's getting dark, love. Let me get some supper ready, and then we really ought to get some rest. It will be a long walk to Marmoreal tomorrow, and I'm afraid you shan't be able to travel by hat this time. I couldn't bear having you that small, you see."

They ate a small supper together at the little table, since luncheon had lasted well into teatime, and then the Hatter helped her to her feet. "You'll find some night things and some dresses in the closet," he told her. He lowered his mouth to her ear and whispered, "You ought to know that it's my pleasure to provide for all your needs and wants, my Alice."

Alice shivered at the tickly sensation on her ear, as well as the implications of his statement. "If I need anything, I'll ask. Thank you," and she blushed a little before finishing, "_my_ Tarrant."

Several minutes later when he had ceased his passionate kisses, he looked down at her with a glad light in his eyes. "Alice, you really ought not to say such things to me, or else I shall never let you depart for bed! Now hush, and go up in silence, or I shan't let you go up at all!"

Alice giggled, pressed one last, fleeting kiss on his lips, and ran up the stairs.

Alone in the parlor, Tarrant collapsed into one of the chairs and smiled as he closed his eyes and tipped his head back to re-live the afternoon before he went upstairs.

* * *

_Note: "One for me and one for a friend" is a callback to Mr Tumnus from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. There are also some strong references to Carroll's __Through the Looking Glass__, namely, any allusion to the White King. The Hatter (called "Hatta") does appear, very briefly, in this sequel to __Alice in Wonderland__, and I merely expanded on that. Bits of this were also influenced by justadram's excellent story "I Love My Love," located here on FFN. Go read it; it's wonderful! (If you're old enough to read adult stories, that is). Oh, and in case anyone wondered: a hatter and a milliner are two different things. Hatters make hats for men; milliners make hats for ladies. Tarrant is both, and obviously very skilled at both, but they're not the same thing. FYI.  
_


	9. Grief

After the happiness of the night before, their long walk to Marmoreal the next day was more somber. The Hatter wanted to hear about her family, so Alice was obliged to tell him about the sharp pain of losing her father just a few short years before, followed by the dull, nagging ache of losing her childhood home and having her cousin turn them from it. The Hatter walked beside her, frowning a little as he listened, and faithfully providing a multi-hued handkerchief for her when her tears overflowed. She brightened up somewhat when she told him about Margaret and the baby, and growled when she spoke of Lowell's former infidelity. She assured him that Lowell seemed to have improved lately. Then she haltingly asked him about his own family.

"Only if you're comfortable speaking of them," she hurried to add. "I know it isn't always easy for you to remember that time, especially with the Red Queen's attack on them.

His eyes glowed orange for a few minutes as they walked along in silence. He reached out and took her hand, holding it up and examining it. "This was the hand that slew the jabberwock," he pointed out. "I can never, ever repay you for that. Aye, I shall tell you of the Hightopps. 'Twould dishonor their memory not to speak of them to the one who avenged their deaths."

He spoke of his parents, Clyde and Marnella, of his uncles and aunts, his cousins, and especially his little sister Hyacinth Hightopp, who had just been given her first little top hat just in time to be burned to death. His accent shifted back and forth, and his eyes changed colors with his emotions as he talked. "She was just the same age as you were, first time you came to Underland. She was a bright, pretty little girl, with dimples and shiny brown curls, always skipping rope and singing and getting into mischief. Chessur was her special friend. He was always around, then. The two of them shared secrets and laughed together all the time. He slept on her bed at night. When I went away to work at Court, I was glad to have him there, watching over her when I couldn't. Then on Horenvendush Day, it happened. The jabberwocky attacked and Chessur evaporated and left little Hy behind."

Alice had seen him once before in a murderous rage toward the Cheshire cat; she guessed it was for this very reason. This time the Hatter didn't seem angry; rather, he seemed crushed and bewildered. His eyes turned a pale, washed-out sort of sickly yellow. "Why?" he moaned. "Why didn't he save her? He just evaporated and left behind his best friend—my little Hy! Why didn't he take her with him, or get her out of the way, or something?" He covered his face with his hands and sobbed.

"Sh, sh," Alice soothed, pulling his hands away. She put her arms around him and drew his head down to her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tarrant. I'm so sorry about your family."

"They're all together now," he went on, clutching her convulsively. "The jabberwocky got them all! All except me. The last Hightopp. And it's just me now. I'm all alo-o-o-o-ne," he wailed into her shoulder, shaking.

Alice could feel his tears wetting through the shoulder of her gown, but she didn't care. Her own eyes were moist as she hugged him tighter, kissed his cheek, and told him, "Not alone, Tarrant. Never alone, my love. I promise!"

"Not… alone?" he said in disbelief, lifting his head to look at her.

"Not as long as I'm around!" she replied, determination coloring her voice.

His accent thickened into strong Outlandish again. "Aye, but for hoo long will ye be around, luv? Ye always leave, ye ken!"

"Tarrant, I give you my word on this: if I ever leave Underland again, I shall take you with me," she promised firmly.

The Hatter's face softened a little. "Truly?" he asked.

"Truly." She gave a decisive nod. "I am terribly sorry about what happened to your family, my love. It was an absolutely dreadful tragedy, and you have my deepest sympathies. But you also have my word that you will never be alone again, unless _you_ decide you're tired of me."

"Nevair!" He cried, as if scandalized at the very thought. "Me, tired of you? Dinna be ridiculous, hen. You're the one who'll get tired of me, wi' my being half-mad and all. You'll see."

Alice laughed a little in spite of the somberness of the conversation. "Your being half-mad is one of the things that will keep me from getting tired of you!"

A brief, tentative smile began to light his face. "Lucky for me," he remarked.

* * *

_Note: Apologies for the sadness of this chapter. It's just that during the scene of the Hightopp attack in the film, there was one flash of a little brown-haired girl in a top hat. She was so adorable and so frightened that I felt she deserved a little more development than the movie allowed. In my head, she turned into Tarrant's little sister, and she was the main reason he blew his stack at Chessur at the tea party in the film._


	10. A Question Asked Much Too Soon

The Hatter had brought along a picnic lunch that he had packed that morning before Alice woke up. When the sun was high in the sky, he suggested they stop and eat. "It isn't _so_ far to Marmoreal, you know," he confessed. "Only a couple hour's walk, but I did Time a favor last month, so today he agreed to let it take a long time for us to reach Marmoreal. I have been having such a wonderful morning walking with you that I didn't want it to end so soon. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind. I've been enjoying it as well."

"Even though it has been a bit, uh, sorrowful?" The Hatter asked, ruefully holding up a decidedly damp purple handkerchief that he had used to staunch his own tears.

Alice held up her own yellow and green one that he had given her. "There is no one whose sorrows I would rather share, Tarrant, nor trust with my own."

"Ah, Alice, you must stop saying things like that to me, hen. Whenever you do, I just want to grab you and kiss you some more." He gave her a shyly mischievous sidelong glance and begged, "Please don't stop saying such things!"

Alice laughed and assured him she wouldn't.

Over lunch, he cleared his throat self consciously. "It means a lot tae me that ye'd ask me about ma family," he said. "I havenae spoken of them for years. All t'ithers are afraid to bring it up. I have been known to go a little mad about it, so no one else ever mentions it noo."

"I'm not afraid of your madness, and I would be miserable never speaking of my family if it were me. They deserve to be remembered and spoken of."

"Aye, they do. Alice," he said, cocking his head to one side, "why is a river like a racehorse?"

"I'll have to think on that one."

"Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"There is a particular question I wish to ask you. I had been planning to wait a good while longer before I asked it, but I just cannot do it. I cannot wait. I am sorry, love, for I know this is too soon, too fast, not planned out, not romantic. Why would you ever—but perhaps you will be kind to me anyway—you always have been kind to me, Alice, dear—"

"Hatter!"

"– and I hope you'll be kind even if you say no. Which I'm sure you will say, because you could have anyone you liked, and lots of other men here are completely sane, and you're a sensible, clever girl who would quite naturally want a sane man instead of someone who is half-mad. But, my Alice, I have a question for you. It's such a very important question that it is simply—well if I don't ask it right away, I may burst."

"Tarrant!" she touched his cheek gently. He took her hand and kissed the palm of it.

"Will you marry me, Alice?"

Alice did not hesitate. She had known the answer to that question since before she had even stepped through the mirror. "Yes, Tarrant, I'll marry you."

His eyes closed in bliss. "Oh, say it again, love. I swear that's the most beautiful thing you've ever said with those beautiful lips."

Alice giggled. "Yes, Tarrant, I will marry you."

"Again!" he demanded.

"Yes, Tarrant, I'll marry you."

He sighed and opened his eyes to smile at her. "That was lovely. I'll remember that forever."

"Really? May I try?" Alice asked playfully.

He laughed. "Please do!"

"Will you marry me, Tarrant?"

His response was a mixture of his pleasant, cultured accent and his rougher, Outlandish one. "Aye, Alice, I'll marry you." He took her hand and stroked across her inner wrist with his thumb.

Alice closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh, I see what you mean! That _is_ nice, isn't it? Say it again, please."

"Aye, Alice, I'll marry you."

"Once more, please."

This time his voice was low, the Outlandish burr quite strong. "Aye, Alice, I'll marry you."

He put his arm around her and drew her close, and just as he kissed her Alice felt a sudden snap of inner satisfaction_,_ as if something that had been missing for her whole life had finally just clicked into its proper place.

"Oh!" she said in surprise.

"Did you feel it?" the Hatter asked. "I did."

"Yes, well, I felt… something. What was that?"

He nodded sagely. "Promises made three times are magically binding. We both made a promise three times to the other, so it's well-night irrevocable now."

"Oh, good," Alice said. "I wouldn't want to revoke it." She felt settled, complete, for the first time since her father had died. She began to tidy up the picnic things. "That's settled, then. It will be a load off my mother's mind that _anyone_ is willing to marry me, at this point. I doubt she would object too strenuously to my marrying an honest, respectable tradesman, for all she wanted me to marry a lord!"

He sprang into action, helping her re-pack the satchel. "Well, she'll get her wish, then, as I happen to be both an honest, respectable tradesman _and_ a lord," he said. "After my actions on the Frabjous day, the queen gave me some land and a title."

"You're a lord? Really?"

"Tarrant, Lord Hightopp, Baron of Capelas, at your service, my lady," he said, doffing his hat and bowing low. He pronounced it "cap-less," which Alice found ironically amusing considering his line of work.

"Congratulations, then, Hatter! Or would you prefer me to call you 'my lord'?" she teased, getting to her feet and brushing off her skirts.

The Outlandish burr was back. "I'll be yours no matter what ye call me, love," he said, rising smoothly and taking the basket from her. "However, ye've just agreed to marry me. I dinna want formality between us, do you?"

"Not at all," Alice replied, "Tarrant." They swung into step towards Marmoreal again, and Alice asked, "So tell me about Capelas?" She pronounced it properly, the way she had heard it in Greece when she had once spoken to a Greek hatter.

The Hatter told her about his new lands, located in the Tulgey Downs near Witzend, where he had grown up. Cleared and farmed and fertile, his land contributed greatly to the well-being of the new White Kingdom. "Best of all," he said, lisping excitedly, "it isn't far from my snug little cottage. Really, the queen was most generous. I also keep rooms at the palace in Marmoreal—I have a workroom there as well—and I spend a few nights there when I'm very busy at court. I'm sure the queen will have rooms prepared for you as well, Alice."

He sobered for a moment and looked worried. "I don't know how happy she'll be about our engagement."

"Whyever not? I thought that when I returned, she'd welcome me back to Underland to stay."

"Oh, she will, she will. But you are the queen's champion, and a lady. She may have wished you to marry elsewhere, you know, to cement an alliance, or to form a new one with another country, or some such thing. Something political. Perhaps we had better not announce our engagement publicly until after we've had a chance to tell her privately."

Alice stiffened her back. "I ran away to China once, to escape an arranged marriage. I will _not_ submit to one here. And think of this: if we announce our engagement right away, publicly, then the queen will hear it at the same time as everyone else. This will not give her time to try to talk us out of it."

"Good point! If I know Queen Mirana, she'll seize the excuse of your return to host a ball—and that is when we'll tell them all. Oh! I rhymed!" He tittered happily.

"Good plan," Alice affirmed. "Nice rhyme, too."

* * *

_Note: Got a PM from a reader about this, so I figured I'd address it here. Yes, I know I always tend to write short engagements and love at first sight. That's because this is **fiction**! In real life, it is always best to take time to get to know the person, and to make sure that you really can spend the rest of your life with him or her, before agreeing to get married. Really, marriage is a decision that will effect the entire remainder of your life. It's worth taking the time to make sure it's what you really want, before leaping in. What I write in a fanfic is not what I did, nor what I actually recommend _anyone _doing in real life! _ _This is a **fairy tale**, dearest readers. Life isn't. :)_


	11. Royal Reunion

They walked the rest of the way to Marmoreal in silence, hands clasped. When they arrived, the queen herself wafted out to meet them, accompanied by an assortment of Tweedles, bloodhounds, and puppies. Some of the puppies had little mouse-babies riding on their shoulders—more of Mally's grandchildren, Alice assumed.

"Alice! Welcome back!" Queen Mirana said, taking Alice's shoulders in a gentle hug and kissing the air beside each cheek. "Absalom told me you would be returning today. And thank you, Lord Hightopp, for returning our champion to her rightful place. Welcome back to court, sir. You look wonderful! That last potion must have done you good!"

The Hatter opened his mouth to speak, but Alice interrupted.

"Thank you for your welcome, Your Majesty, but has to that—well, the Hatter and I would like to speak with you privately at your earliest convenience." Alice wanted to make sure the queen knew about their engagement as soon as possible.

Queen Mirana froze, her face in an expression of fear. "Is there danger? Do you bring bad news?"

"Oh, no, Your Majesty," the Hatter replied. "Quite good news, actually."

"Good, then it can keep until later, for tonight we must have a ball! Yes, a ball to celebrate our champion's return. Hatter, will you show Alice to a room and help her settle in? I must go and plan for this evening. Oh! and I know just whom to invite, too!" She drifted off like a feather in the breeze.

"Oh, a ball," Alice groaned.

At the same time, the Hatter said, "Oh! A ball!" in an excited tone.

She looked at him in disbelief. "Are balls nice here in Underland?"

He nodded eagerly, and cast a critical eye down her dress. "If you didn't happen to bring a ballgown with you, I may have something in my workroom that may suit. Shall we go and see?" He offered her his arm in a courtly gesture.

Alice smiled and went along with him. In his workroom (a large, airy space filled with colorful silks and a white rack of thread in multicolored hues), he showed her a multi-tiered dress in deep purple, with lavender trim and green piping. It was gorgeous, and she told him so.

He beamed and bowed. "May I escort you to the ball this evening, Miss Kingsley?" he asked, with his coat darkening to match the dress.

"I'd love to go with you," Alice told him.

They took the dress back to Alice's room. "Now you should get a little rest, and I really must get some work done, hen," he told her. "I'll catch up with you just before teatime, shall I?"

Alice washed up and changed her clothes. She lay down and tried to nap, but couldn't sleep; she was much too excited. She couldn't believe that at this time yesterday she was just arriving at the March Hare's house, uncertain of her reception, and now she was engaged to be married—and to the one man she had ever met who was the perfect match for her. Her mind was in a whirl, things had happened so fast. And yet, she couldn't recall a time when she had ever been so happy, nor felt so free.


	12. Matrimony and Heirs

_[Here is where we begin the crossover portions, with both the 2003 Peter Pan and with Jim Henson's Labyrinth.]_

* * *

Alice went out on her balcony and looked over the beauty of Marmoreal. In the distance, she could see the Crimson Sea sparkling rosily. Something was there. She went to the telescope and peered through it. There was a ship at anchor there. Alice had never heard of any naval or nautical activity in Underland, and she decided to go downstairs and see if anyone knew what was going on.

She saw no one she knew until she went into the queen's receiving room, just off the entrance foyer. The queen was there, speaking quietly with a couple of men Alice had never seen before. They were both tall, with long hair and flamboyant outfits, but there the resemblances came to an abrupt end.

One was fair, with upswept eyebrows and wild, fluffy blond hair that stuck out all over his head like dandelion fuzz. He wore very tight grey breeches and an asymmetrical jacket, and a pair of high black boots.

The other was dark, with his hair in long ringlets that fell about his shoulders like black candles. He had arresting blue eyes and was dressed in a wine-red King Charles-style long coat, breeches and hose, and a flashy, three-cornered hat with a feather in it.

The queen heard her come in, and turned.

"Oh!" Alice said. "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Nonsense, Alice. We were just speaking of you. Come and meet our visitors."

Alice approached the group, not entirely comfortable with the appraising looks she got from the two men.

The queen introduced Alice to them. "Gentlemen, may I introduce Lady Alice Kingsley. Alice, this is His Majesty King Jareth of the Goblin Kingdom, and Captain James Hook, current ruler of Neverland."

Alice curtseyed to the two men. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Majesty, Captain."

They both bowed to her, the captain sweeping off his plumed hat and bowing from the waist, while the blond king merely bent a little from the shoulders. "The pleasure is all ours, I'm sure," he said. "Eh, Captain?"

"Most assuredly," the captain said with a smile.

The queen smiled, too. "Now, then, Alice—would you mind entertaining these two gentlemen until tea time?" To the men she said, "Alice is from Above, sometimes known as Otherland, you see."

"Is she?" the young blond king's face sparked with interest. "Really? From Above? I know someone from Above."

"Yes, sir, from England," Alice said.

Now it was the captain's turn to perk his ears up. "England? Really? I remember England."

"Then it sounds as if you shall have a great deal to talk about," the queen said graciously. "Alice can show you to the library and keep you company there, and then I'll introduce you to everyone else at tea."

"Of course, Your Majesty," Alice said, slightly confused. Didn't the queen have courtiers to help her entertain foreign dignitaries? The queen smiled and flitted away.

Alice turned to the two men. "I am still new here, sirs, and don't know my way around as well as some, but I'll do my best. What brings you gentlemen to Underland?"

"Matters of state, for my part," King Jareth said. "Unfortunately. My kingdom is in need of an heir, and its king in need of a bride to provide one. Queen Mirana invited me here this afternoon to meet her champion, whom she says is a young lady of beauty and resolve—and believe me, she would need a lot of resolve in order to help govern _my_ subjects!"

Alice's eyes widened. "I see," she said faintly. "And you, Captain?"

"My land is one governed by children," the captain replied. "However, its leader has recently abandoned it for the Above world. In order to survive, the place needs new youngsters. I'm here for the same reason as Jareth is."

Alice felt the blood rushing from her head. "Ah," she said. "Also at the queen's invitation, to meet her champion?"

"Originally it was to meet the queen, but she seems satisfied with her current suitor, so now my purpose is the same as Jareth's."

Alice's breath left her all at once "I—I—I need to sit down." The two men solicitously helped her to a bench just inside the door. She sat down and hid her face in her hands with a moan.

"Are you all right?" King Jareth sounded alarmed.

Captain Hook fanned her with his hat. "Lady Alice? Are you well?"

Alice took a deep breath to reply, when the door opened and the Hatter came in. "I beg your pardon, gentlemen, but have you seen—" he caught sight of Alice. "—Alice!" He nearly flew over to them and went to his knees in front of where she sat. He took her hands in his and peered up into her face.

"Are ye all right, love?" he asked, slipping into his Outlandish burr out of worry.

She nodded, giving his hands a squeeze. "Yes, Hatter, I'm fine." She looked up at the other two men. "Thank you, sirs. Please forgive me—it's just that your news was a bit alarming." At their looks of bewilderment, she clarified, "You see, I'm the queen's champion, and I had no idea of her plans _or_ her invitations to you."

"Oh!" they both said, looking at each other a little ruefully.

The Hatter helped Alice to her feet, his intensely green eyes never leaving her face.

"Well, that could have been better done," was Jareth's bald observation. Hook nodded in agreement.

Alice smiled at the Hatter and took a deep breath. "Hatter, these gentlemen are the queen's guests? This is His Majesty King Jareth of the Goblin Kingdom, and Captain James Hook, king of the… what was it, sir?"

"Neverland."

Alice nodded and went on. "Sirs, this is Tarrant, Lord Hightopp, royal Hatter and friend of the queen."

"And protector of the queen's champion," the Hatter put in. "A pleasure, sirs." His pale face flushed a little in pleasure at Alice's introduction, as she had ranked him above the other two men in status.

"—And also a champion of the queen."

The fact that she had introduced them first, instead of him to them, as was usually proper for monarchs, was not lost on the two visitors, who exchanged amused glances. "Pleasure, Hightopp," Jareth said.

"Indeed. Uh, how does it happen the queen has two champions?" Hook asked with interest.

"Mainly because I interfered when Alice fought the Red Queen's champion," the Hatter replied modestly.

"Thereby saving my life—" Alice put in.

"—So she could then slay the dragon herself," he finished.

Hook turned to Jareth and mouthed, "A _dragon_?" Jareth shook his head in wonder.

Alice turned to the Hatter. "Hatter, Queen Mirana has invited both these gentlemen here in order to meet me—with an eye to matrimony and heirs."

He nodded, slipping back into Outlandish. "Aye, I told ye this would happen," he said grimly.

Alice addressed the visitors. "Sirs, I deeply regret that both of you have traveled so far on a fruitless errand. I am truly sorry that Queen Mirana made these arrangements without my knowledge or consent; however, you must know that I have already agreed to marry Mr. Hightopp. We only arrived in court a little while ago and have not yet had a chance to inform the queen."

"Oh, well, that puts a different face on the matter," Hook said. "Congratulations, then, Hightopp." He made an aborted attempt at a handshake, but then drew back sharply.

The Hatter saw the movement and had his hand out already to accept the gesture. Sheepishly the captain held up his right arm, which ended not in a hand, but in a shiny, sharp hook. "Old habits," he said.

The Hatter, nothing loathe, grabbed the hook and shook hands like a gentleman. Hook's eyebrows went up in surprise, and he smiled.

"Thank you very much, Captain," the Hatter said. "I know I'm a lucky man."

"Lucky, indeed," Jareth purred, offering the Hatter his own hand. "We wish you both joy, I'm sure." He took Alice's hand and bowed over it, dropping a kiss on her knuckles. "I don't regret the trip, Lady Alice, so please think no more on it. I have the ability to travel great distances quite easily, and it is good to get away from my goblins from time to time. _Very_ good," he added quietly, as if to himself. "And in all honesty, and with no offense intended, your news comes as a bit of a relief to me. I am not sure I'm quite ready to marry. However it is very good to have a good excuse to leave my kingdom for a while."

"Likewise for me," the captain agreed. "Now that I'm in charge of Neverland, the voyage doesn't take me long—and it can wax onerous to be the only real adult in the whole kingdom."

Jareth agreed with a vehemence that made Alice wonder exactly what their kingdoms were like.

"Thank you both for being so understanding," she said. "The fact is, I only returned to Underland yesterday afternoon, and Mr Hightopp was the reason I returned. We simply didn't have time to inform Her Majesty when we arrived at court earlier today, before she was off to plan a ball for this evening."

"She may yet wish you to marry elsewhere," the Hatter warned.

Alice's face took on a mulish expression. "She may _wish_ it, if she likes," was all she said.

Jareth burst out laughing. "Blind me, if you haven't just reminded me of someone I used to know! I have the feeling the three of us are going to be very good friends."

Captain Hook shook his head, chuckling. "Nay, the four of us, for I swear there's someone I knew that she reminds me of, as well."

"Ladies, from the sounds of it," the Hatter remarked with a knowing smile.

"Aye, well, lady might be the wrong word. Little spitfire, perhaps," Hook said wistfully.

"Hellcat," Jareth suggested, gazing off into the distance with a fond smile.

"Oh, I must hear of these ladies," Alice said happily. "Let us all go for a walk until teatime, and you can tell us of them. The library can wait, no doubt."


	13. Hook's Tale

They walked out to the gardens, where Jareth told them of a young American girl from Above who had visited his kingdom once, and turned it on its ear. She had wished her baby brother away to the goblins, who had obligingly taken him. When Jareth showed up expecting to be thanked for his services, she demanded her brother back. Even when he gave her a chance to win the baby back fairly, she had called the king names, insulting him and his kingdom. After she had won the challenge and he offered her a chance to stay there with him, she threw his offer back in his face and went home to celebrate with everyone she had met in his kingdom—except him.

"Turned my kingdom inside out, set half my subjects against me, and completely stole my heart," he said with a rueful smile. "And this when she wasn't even fully grown yet—still a child, really, by her world's standards. Too young to keep," he ended wistfully.

"How long ago was it?" Alice asked.

"Technically, it hasn't happened yet," Jareth said. "You see, time is very fluid in my kingdom, and is subject to the whims of its semi-omnipotent king," he bowed modestly. "The young lady in question is from the year of our Lord 1986."

"Then you could very easily find her again after she is grown up," Alice suggested. "To be honest, her story sounds very much like mine." She told them of her first trip to Underland as a 7-year-old girl. "That was when I met Mr Hightopp for the first time," she said. "I regret to say that I didn't like him much, and I thought his tea party dull and his riddles stupid. I did think more kindly of him on my second visit six months later, but wasn't able to spend much time with him then. It wasn't until my third visit, when I was 19, that I developed a different view of Mr Hightopp. I am willing to wager that your young friend may have a similar experience with you, sir," she told Jareth.

"Do you think so?" Jareth asked hopefully. Grinning, he took a few steps away and started singing. And dancing.

Alice's jaw dropped as she watched him dance. The things he did with his body were decidedly improper! And was it really necessary for him to wear his trousers _so_ tight? He sang about taking someone "down, down, Underground," and Alice had never heard singing like that before in her life.

The Hatter watched and listened for a few minutes, giggling with joy, and then began to Futterwacken. Vigorously. Alice, who could watch him Futterwacken all day long, was glad to watch him instead of King Jareth, whose hip movements made her red-faced and whose singing sounded pained and passionate instead of pleasing.

Captain Hook watched them both with a smirk of amusement on his face. "Well, they certainly seem happy," he remarked to Alice, who nodded. He went on in a halting voice, "It is… pleasant… to see grown men who still have such a… zest… for life." His voice sounded sad.

The singing and dancing drew to a close, and Jareth and the Hatter, both smiling and panting, shook each other's hands and then rejoined the conversation.

"What has happened to make you lose yours, sir?" Alice asked Captain Hook, with a compassionate touch on his hooked arm.

"What has happened. What has happened, indeed," he mused.

"Yes, man, out with it!" Jareth encouraged, clapping him on the shoulder. "I've told my story. Now it's your turn."

Hook took a deep breath and began. "My land is where dreams are made, but since the departure of its boy-king, it has been forced to look to me for inspiration. Alas, I have no pleasant dreams. I have no happy thoughts. Better for Hook that he had never been born!" the captain finished dramatically.

There was a pause, and then, "Poppycock!" the Hatter said cheerfully. "I know that feeling, sir, and it is a liar."

"Sir?" the captain replied in astonishment.

"I felt that way when my dearest Alice left Underland unexpectedly—but it was a lie, since she had pledged to return, and here she is. Don't believe that feeling, sir—you are being deceived."

"Ah, but I have no young lady who promised to return," Hook said. In a lower tone, he went on. "All I have is the memory of a little storyteller, a sweet, imaginative child whom I tried to kill. She could probably heal my whole kingdom with her stories, but because of what I did, she would never come back to Neverland. Even if she did, she would hate me still, and rightly so."

"I think you may be wrong, sir," the Hatter said. "Excellent rhyme, though."

"Thank you…" the captain said, puzzled at the non-sequitur. He hadn't made a rhyme.

"Care to make a wager on it?" Jareth asked with a grin. "I acted the villain of my own piece, too, but I am hoping that lovely Sarah will have grown up enough to realize it was only acting."

"There's the difference, sir," Hook pointed out. "You _acted_ the villain. I _was_ the villain. I tried to kill her and her friends, and very nearly succeeded. I would have done, too, if it hadn't been for her intervention." His voice was bitter as he told them the whole story of Wendy's hidden kiss, when she had bestowed it on the defeated Peter Pan. It had empowered the boy to fly straight up into the air and defeat Hook in turn, and then the children's chanting about his imminent doom had sent Hook straight down into the gullet of the giant crocodile who had been hunting him for years. He shuddered at the memory.

"Ah, but now the young hero has abandoned his land," Alice said, "leaving room for a reformed villain to become the hero."

Hook smiled bitterly. "The villain never reforms, my dear girl."

The Hatter cleared his throat. "If I'm not mistaken, it's almost time for tea. You two gentlemen shall have to meet Ilosovic Stayne, a friend of the queen. You may find his story inspiring, Captain. Shall we go?"

As they walked, Jareth and the Hatter fell a little behind. "Something is concerning me, Hightopp," Jareth said quietly. "Your queen isn't all sweetness and light. I've known her since her _first_ ascension, and I can tell you: that woman gets what she wants. As her loyal subject, if she wants your lady to marry elsewhere, you're going to have to comply. How are you planning to tell her of your engagement?"

"I don't know," the Hatter admitted. "I keep coming up with ideas, but then the riddles get in the way. We have each promised the other thrice, though. If the queen insists on Alice's marrying elsewhere, it would _not_ be a blessed union."

"Hmm, decidedly not," Jareth replied, amused. "I would certainly never wish to be that cursèd groom!"

"Just so," agreed the Hatter. "Tell me, do you know why a river is like a racehorse?"

"Ask me again later," Jareth ordered, refusing to be distracted. "I have an idea of how it is to be done, if you and your lady will trust me and keep silent for now. I give you my word that you and Lady Alice have my full support of your engagement—especially if you would be willing to assist me with my own courtship."

Jareth smiled as he continued, "I find you both rather… invigorating to be around, after my previous visits to this washed-out, colorless court." He held up his hands, mimicking the way Queen Mirana's hands tended to float around rather than just fall to her sides. "You're both so full of vitality and verve. It's refreshing."

The Hatter tittered. "I know precisely what you mean," he lisped. He nodded. "Very well, I will trust you and stay silent until after tea-time. I shan't stay silent long after that, because if I have to stand around and watch dozens of other men dance with Alice at the ball this evening, I shall run murderously mad."

"As it should be," Jareth said with a nod of approval. "I hope you won't begrudge me a dance with her, as by then I will have proven my support to you. Let me be the one to speak to the queen on your behalf."

The Hatter nodded agreement.

* * *

_Note: I want to clarify something. I often tend to write May/December sorts of romances in my fanfic, but only after Miss May has reached adulthood. Neither I, nor any character that I write, is into paedophilia. Just for the record! :)_


	14. Announcement

Everyone was there at tea; the queen sat at the head of the table with Jareth on her right and Hook on her left. The Hatter and Alice sat next, on Hook's other side, with the Cheshire cat and the nervous white rabbit, Nivens McTwisp, across from them next to Jareth. Jareth raised his eyebrows at the cat, who grinned and winked at him. Jareth grinned and winked back.

The queen rose and introduced the two visiting monarchs, thankfully saying nothing about their reason for visiting. All she said on that front was that she "hoped they would find a warm welcome and perhaps a new friend or two" during their stay.

Hook stood up. "We thank you, Queen Mirana, for your welcome. We look forward to Our stay in your realm. We have already found a warm welcome and a new friend or two, just in the short time We have been here. We hope to add to that number during Our visit." He sat back down, a little self-conscious at his first official use of the royal "we."

Jareth rose in his turn. He took a moment to glance around, exchanging glances with Hook, with Alice, and with Hightopp, before looking at the queen. "We, too, are very appreciative of your welcome, Queen Mirana. I am pleased to confirm that your wishes have already been fulfilled. I have already been very warmly welcomed, and have definitely made a new friend. In fact, if the company will indulge me, I have an announcement to make."

Queen Mirana blinked. "Well, that _was_ fast work," she muttered to herself. Not that she could blame the girl; the Goblin King was extraordinarily handsome and personable. Louder she said, "Please, King Jareth, do make your announcement!"

Jareth smiled broadly. "Today I met Underland's champion: She who slew the jabberwock and saved Underland from the Red Queen's cruel reign. I think you will agree with me that she is a sweet and lovely young woman, in addition to being a fierce foe in battle. She deserves to be happy, wouldn't you all agree?"

He waited a moment for the murmurs of agreement to die down, and then went on. "Today I also had the pleasure of meeting the court Hatter, Tarrant Hightopp, protector of the queen's champion. As it turns out, it was his intervention that enabled the Lady Alice to slay the fearsome dragon who was the Red Queen's champion. The Hatter is as much a champion in his own right as Lady Alice is. Therefore it gives me great pleasure in announcing that he has offered for Lady Alice, and his offer has been accepted! Congratulations to them both!" This time the approval came in the form of cheering all up and down the table.

Queen Mirana sat still, stunned beyond measure. She'd been expecting Jareth to announce his own engagement to Alice, and here he was announcing Alice's engagement to the Hatter! A man who, brave though he was, was still beyond reason most of the time. Was Alice just as mad as he? The girl could have married a king, and she chose a lunatic instead?

She glanced up at Jareth in shock. Jareth winked at her and continued, "This engagement comes as a surprise to some of us, but not, I imagine, to most of you."

Another chorus of agreement, including a yell from Mallymkun, sitting further down the table. "An' it's about time, too!"

Jareth continued, "In any case, will you all rise and join me in a toast to their happiness? To Alice and the Hatter!" He raised his teacup to them and drank.

Everyone rose and drank, with various calls of "Hear, hear!" and "I _knew_ it!" rising above the other conversation.

"To Alice and the 'Atter!" Mallymkun called from further down the table. "May they restore the honorable 'Ightopp clan!"

"Hear, hear!" cried Thackery, sitting across from Mally, as he drained his teacup in their honor and then flung it at one of the servants, who ducked easily.

The Hatter sat there, eyebrows raised, beaming. He nodded pleasantly to his friends as they toasted him, and held Alice's hand openly, above the tablecloth. Her face was a little pink, but she was smiling as well.

With a devilish smile, Hook toasted them both and then called, "Speech!"

"Speech! Speech!" the cry was taken up, all down the table. In the corridor, a tall, dark figure approached, but stopped to see what was going on.

The Hatter rose, still holding Alice's hand, and said, "My friends, I thank you sincerely for your good wishes. Alice has made me very happy, and I hope you will all share in that happiness with us." He sat back down.

"Speech!" yelled Mallymkun, making a face at Alice.

Alice grimaced back at the little mouse, but stood up. "I am overjoyed to be with you all again—yes, even you, Mally!—but nothing has ever given me greater joy than realizing that the man I loved enough to leave my life Above, loved me just as much. It made me very happy to accept his

offer of marriage today. No one could ever be a better match for me than my dear Hatter. We thank you all for your good wishes." She sat down to general applause.

Mirana rose, wide-eyed, and picked up her own glass. "To… Alice… and … the Hatter!" she toasted them in an astonished tone of voice. "Best wishes to both of our dear friends!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Alice said. She leaned past Hook to whisper to the queen, "This was our good news we wanted to share, in case you wondered!"

"I see!" the queen said, finally beginning to smile.

"Now I only hope they will be willing to assist me in my suit of a certain young lady," Hook said. He ate left-handed, and his elbow bumped Alice's playfully.

She bumped back. "We'll do our best, Captain, I'm sure," she said.

"But that's not fair, James," Jareth objected, leaning across Queen Mirana to do it. She leaned back out of the way, amused. Jareth went on, "If you get assistance from the royal champions on your quest, it's only fair if they help me with mine as well!"

"I'm sure we'd be happy to," Alice volunteered cheerfully from across the table.

The tall, dark figure from the hallway now approached the table from behind the queen. He was a giant of a man, with a patch over one eye, and long, lank hair falling to his shoulders. Leaning down to her, he said quietly in the queen's ear, "Would that I could get their help with my own."

Mirana smiled and turned to greet Ilosovic Stayne, but suddenly the Hatter leaped from his chair. "_Stayne_!" he roared, his voice deep and wild.


	15. Stayned Honor

With a quick motion, the Hatter seized a longsword from a wall display and approached the newcomer.

Stayne immediately left the queen and went out into the open floor area, where he undid his sword belt, pulled off his gloves, cape, and armored breastplate and dropped them all on the floor. He stepped away from them and stood still, waiting.

The Hatter stalked toward him, streams of Outlandish curses spilling from his lips. "Will ye no' defend yourself, you pilger lickering guddler's scut?" the Hatter growled, his voice deep and rough.

Stayne shook his head and lifted his open hands out to the sides. "Not from you, Hightopp."

Alice sat, frozen in horror at the table, watching this tableau. Jareth and Hook looked bewildered, the queen looked only mildly concerned, and everyone else was carrying on as if nothing was happening.

The Hatter kicked the sword over to him. "Pick i' up and defend yourself!" he ordered, eyes darkening to orange.

Stayne shook his head again. "Strike if you must, Hightopp. I know I deserve it."

The Hatter's eyes, dark red now, began to lighten. His hand began to shake, and he dropped his sword with a clatter to the floor.

Alice jumped up and ran to him. "Hatter!" she cried, taking his arm and looking up at him with concern.

"Alice!" he said, eyes beginning to return to their clear green color. "What happened?" He looked up at Stayne, then down at the sword he had dropped on the floor. His shoulders slumped and he put his hand over his eyes. "Oh, God, I did it again, didn't I?" He looked up at the knave, shaking his head ruefully. "I'm so sorry, Stayne."

Stayne exhaled in relief. "Don't worry about it, Hightopp."

The Hatter helped him pick up his things, belting the sword around him again and handing him his gloves. "You want to be careful, old man," he warned in his light, lisping accent. "One of these days I might really kill you."

Stayne offered a peaceful handshake. "Like I tell you every time, Hightopp—I know I deserve it."

The Hatter shook his hand with a grin and a friendly clap on Stayne's shoulder. He handed his own sword to one of the servants and then returned to the table. He pulled out Alice's chair first to help seat her, and then sat down himself.

"Sorry, Your Majesty," he said to the queen.

"Quite all right, Hatter. You caught yourself in time."

"Always does," Stayne remarked with relief as he pulled out a chair halfway down the table and sat down next to Mallymkun. "You're a good man, Hightopp, luckily for me. Too good a man to strike down someone who's unarmed."

"This happen often?" Jareth asked with interest.

The Hatter nodded. "I'm afraid so. Less so in recent months, however as you can see, there is still progress to be made." He turned away and started talking quietly to Alice, effectively ending the issue.

"How marvelous!" Hook exclaimed, snickering. "What a lively court this is!"

"Our dear Hatter, though a good man and very clever, is a little… mad," the queen replied quietly.

"Mad? Honestly?" Hook asked.

"What happened to make him mad?" Jareth wanted to know.

"Well, his profession—" the queen began.

Stayne interrupted. "_I_ happened. I was one of the ones who helped to murder his entire clan, years ago. So as you can see, Hightopp is entirely within his rights to want revenge."

"You _what_?" Hook exclaimed.

Jareth said nothing, but frowned fiercely and started to stand.

"Gentlemen!" the queen put in firmly. Jareth sat back down, but slowly. "King Jareth, Captain Hook, may I introduce my good friend, Ilosovic Stayne? Mr. Stayne was indeed part of my sister, the Red Queen's, evil reign. However, it was not his fault, as she had access to many dark magics that would help her to control him. As soon as he got free of her influence, he came directly to me and threw himself on my mercy. I ask my court and my guests to please remember that Mr. Stayne was not in control of his mind or his actions during any of that time, as my sister had made him her slave from childhood on."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Stayne said gratefully. "I do believe, as always, that you pardon me too freely; however, I'm not yet a good enough man to refuse it."

Glancing down the table, he happened to lock eyes with Alice. Her dark eyes blazed into his, and he flushed and dropped his gaze. The Hatter saw this and put his hand gently on top of hers; her gaze softened as she looked at him.

Stayne breathed a sigh of relief and drained his teacup. "A little more tea, please, Madame Mally," he requested politely from his mouse companion.

"One lump or two?" she asked as she poured him a new cup.

"Two."

"Thackery? Two lumps for the great lump over 'ere," Mally called across the table.

The March Hare, keeper of the sugar bowl, said, "Right, then." He put two sugar cubes on his spoon, and catapulted them across the table, where they both bounced off Stayne's forehead directly into his teacup.

"Thanks very much, Thack," Stayne said nonchalantly. It was evident that he had come to appreciate their special brand of lunacy over the last couple of years.


End file.
